As Oceans Warm, Great White Sharks Are Overheating

In warming oceans, sharks face the risk of fatally overheating, a new study finds. via @insideclimatenews.org

Energy Crisis Spurs Push for Remote Work The energy shocks rippling from the war in Iran have spurred a number of countries to embrace working from home. Leaders in Europe are now joining the push, hoping that more remote work will help curb consumption of oil. 

The energy shocks rippling from the war in Iran have spurred countries, from Cambodia to Peru, to embrace remote work.

Leaders in Europe are now joining the push as they look to curb consumption of oil.

Zambia Under Pressure to Clean Up Shuttered Lead Mine Poisoning Town Three decades after one of the largest lead mines in the world closed down, people in Kabwe, Zambia, are still dealing with the aftermath. Facing pervasive lead contamination that continues to endanger their children, families in Kabwe, with a coalition of human rights groups, are calling on the African Union to force Zambia to clean up the site.

Three decades after one of the largest lead mines in the world shut down, people in Kabwe, Zambia, still face pervasive lead contamination.

Affected families and human rights groups are calling on the African Union to force Zambia to clean up the site.

Rusting Rivers: Alarm Grows Over Uptick in Acidic Arctic Waters Climate change has thawed permafrost and increased rainfall in the Far North, producing sulfuric acid that is turning rivers and lakes yellow or rusty orange. Scientists are scrambling to parse the impacts on wildlife, fish, and the drinking water of Indigenous communities.

As the Arctic warms and tundra thaws, minerals once trapped in permafrost are leaching out, turning rivers orange and acidic — some as acidic as vinegar.

Experts are racing to understand the ramifications for fish, wildlife, and Indigenous people.

Israeli Strikes Are Destroying Farmland in Southern Lebanon Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have devastated orchards and fields. One-fifth of the country’s farmland has been damaged in the course of the war, Lebanese officials estimate.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have devastated orchards and fields.

Lebanese officials say that one-fifth of the country's farmland has been damaged in the course of the war.

In a First for the U.S., Renewables Generate More Power Than Natural Gas In March, for the first time, renewables supplied more power to the U.S. than natural gas, a milestone in the transition to clean power. However, rising power demand is complicating the shift away from fossil fuels by extending the lives of many aging coal power plants.

In a first last month, renewables supplied more power to the U.S. than natural gas, a milestone in the shift to clean energy.

One in Five Gray Whales That Enter San Francisco Bay Die There As oceans warm and whale prey becomes increasingly scarce, gray whales have begun venturing into San Francisco Bay in search of food. But nearly one in five gray whales who enter the bay die there, many of them killed by passing boats, new research shows.

One in five gray whales that enter San Francisco Bay die there, many of them killed by passing boats, new research shows.

The Global Wildlife Trade Is Fueling the Spread of Disease Scientists have long known that deadly diseases, from HIV to SARS to Ebola, can begin in animals and spill over to humans. But a new study is the first to quantify the risks of the global trade in wildlife, finding that nearly half of traded mammals share at least one pathogen with humans.

Experts have long known that deadly diseases can begin in animals and spill over to humans.

But a new study is the first to quantify the risks from the wildlife trade, finding that nearly half of traded mammals share at least one pathogen with humans.

A More Troubling Picture of Sea Level Rise Is Coming into View Scientists have uncovered a "blind spot" in the research on rising seas, revealing that tens of millions of people thought safe from coastal flooding are at risk of inundation. Across much of the world, sea levels are higher than previously assumed and land is sinking faster.

Scientists have uncovered a “blind spot” in the research on rising seas, revealing that tens of millions of people thought safe from coastal flooding are at risk.

Across much of the world, sea levels are higher than assumed and land is sinking faster.

A Shift to EVs Would Lower the Price of Gas, Study Finds A broad shift to electric cars would benefit drivers of conventional cars by lowering the price of gasoline. That is the finding of a new study, which comes as the war in Iran rattles energy markets, driving up the cost of oil.

A broad shift to electric vehicles would benefit drivers of gas-powered cars by lowering the price of fuel.

That is the finding of a new study, which comes as the war in Iran rattles energy markets, driving up the cost of oil.

Google to Use Natural Gas to Power Massive Data Center in Texas

A planned gas-fired power plant at a Google data center in Texas would generate up to 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, more than the city of San Francisco. via @theguardian.com

Why Protecting Flowering Plants Is Crucial to Our Future In his latest book, biologist David George Haskell describes flowering plants as “world creators.” In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains how they spurred the evolution of new ecosyste...

“Flowering plants have a 100-million-year record of thriving in the face of calamity,” says biologist David George Haskell. “They are world creators.”

In an interview, he explains what flowers can teach us about survival on a warming planet.

U.S. Biofuels Target Could Fuel Destruction of Tropical Rainforests This article was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

The U.S. doesn’t produce enough vegetable oil to meet a new biofuels mandate, so suppliers will have to ramp up imports of vegetable oil, putting pressure on tropical forests overseas. via @insideclimatenews.org

Trying Times: Keeping the Faith as Environmental Gains Are Lost For people who came of age in the 1970s, it is especially painful to witness the Trump administration’s relentless rollback of hard-won environmental progress. But as the assaults on clean air and water, endangered species, and more mount, a noted ecologist finds reasons for hope.

For those who came of age in the 1970s, it is especially painful to witness the Trump administration's rollbacks of hard-won environmental progress, writes Carl Safina.

But as assaults mount, the noted ecologist finds reasons for hope.

More Than 110 New Species Discovered In Deep Waters Off Australia Scientists have identified more than 110 new species found deep underwater beyond the edges of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Scientists have identified more than 110 new species discovered deep underwater beyond the edges of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Indonesian Mega-Farm Drives Surge in Deforestation Indonesia saw the loss of forest hit its highest level in eight years last year, a jump driven in part by a sprawling effort to turn rainforest into rice and sugarcane plantations.

Indonesia saw deforestation hit an eight-year high last year, a surge driven in part by a sprawling effort to turn rainforest into rice and sugarcane plantations.

Even a Few Scattered Trees on Farmland Can Be a Boon for Wildlife On the edges of the Amazon rainforest, there is a patchwork of farms, pastures, and the remnants of forest that harbor native wildlife. Until recently, experts believed that what mattered for conservation was the size of these arboreal “islands” and their nearness to other forests. But a new study shows that the quality of the surrounding landscape matters too.

Even a few scattered trees on farmland can give a big boost to wildlife, new research finds.

Experts Are Failing to Account for Ripple Effects of Extreme Weather, Paper Warns Smoke from wildfires in Canada clouded skies in New York City in the summer of 2023. Anthony Quintano via Flickr

A drought in Russia sparked bread riots in Egypt. Fires in Canada fueled deadly pollution in Spain.

Extreme weather can have ripple effects in faraway places that are rarely considered in planning, a new paper warns.

As It Boosts Renewables, China Still Can't Break Its Coal Addiction Despite being a renewables superpower, China continues to permit and build new coal-fired power plants at a rapid pace. Analysts say the nation’s new five-year plan will ensure further coal plant expa...

China may be the world leader in renewable energy, but its heavy reliance on coal has kept its emissions stubbornly high.

Its latest five-year plan offers little hope that China will halt its coal power buildout, putting its climate goals at serious risk.

European Stoves Leaking Cancer-Causing Benzene Benzene, a compound linked with leukemia and other blood cancers, is leaking from gas stoves in Europe, a new study finds. 

Benzene, a compound linked with leukemia and other blood cancers, is leaking from gas stoves in Europe, a new study finds.

World's Freshwater Fish in Crisis, U.N. Report Warns Over the last half century, populations of fish migrating through the world’s rivers have declined by 81 percent, according to a stark new U.N. report. 

Over the last half century, populations of fish migrating through the world's rivers have dropped by 81 percent, according to a stark new U.N. report.

Can America’s Wolves Survive an Onslaught of Political Attacks? Gray wolves made an uneasy comeback in the Northern Rockies and are struggling to return to the Southwest. But legislation now working its way through Congress is being spurred by misinformation and myth, rather than science, and threatens to end wolf recovery in the U.S.

Gray wolves have made an uneasy comeback in the Northern Rockies and are beginning to return to the Southwest.

But two bills now working their way through Congress, spurred by misinformation and myth, threaten to end wolf recovery, Ted Williams writes.

In Mexican Forests, Monarch Butterflies Halt Their Decline In the forests of central Mexico, the number of monarch butterflies grew for the second year in a row, suggesting the population has stabilized after years of decline. 

In the forests of central Mexico, monarch butterfly numbers grew for the second year in a row, suggesting the population has stabilized after years of decline.

As Zambia Pushes New Mining, a Legacy of Pollution Looms Zambia is expanding development of its rich deposits of critical minerals, which are needed for the global shift to renewables. But contamination from past mining and a toxic spill at a mine site are raising fears that new wealth will come at a high cost for people and the environment.

Zambia is pushing to mine its rich deposits of critical minerals, which are needed for the global shift to renewables. But toxic pollution from past mining is raising fears that new wealth will come at a high cost for Zambians.

Citing Conservation, Tanzania Pushes Ahead on Evictions of Indigenous Maasai Five years ago, Tanzanian authorities set out to push Indigenous Maasai off their ancestral lands in the famed Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Despite global outcry over the forced removals, this month two presidential commissions called for the evictions to continue, citing the need to protect wildlife.

Five years ago, Tanzanian officials set out to push the Indigenous Maasai off their ancestral lands in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Despite global outcry over the removals, two presidential commissions have called for the evictions to continue.

The Pennsylvania Town Facing a Data Center Boom Archbald, Pennsylvania, a borough of fewer than 8,000 people, may soon be home to five massive data centers that, when completed, will rank among the largest in the world. While residents are worried that data centers will strain the electric grid and drive up power bills, officials are clearing the way for these projects, which are a potentially lucrative source of tax revenue.

Archbald, Pennsylvania, a town of fewer than 8,000 people, may soon be home to five massive data centers that, when completed, will rank among the largest in the world.

Locals fear the data centers will strain the electric grid and drive up power bills.

As Iran War Drives up Gas Prices, Interest in EVs Grows Since President Trump launched the latest bombing campaign against Iran, the price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. has climbed by 20 percent. The spike in fuel costs has reportedly driven a surge in interest in electric cars.

The war on Iran has caused gas prices to spike, driving a surge in interest in electric cars.

Medieval Farms Were a Boon for Biodiversity, Study Finds New research finds that the diversity of plants in parts of medieval Europe peaked in the centuries before the Black Death, at a time when small farms and pastures existed alongside grasslands and forests. The findings show how, under the right conditions, farms can be a boon to nature.

In Europe, the diversity of plants was greatest in the years before the Black Death, at a time when small farms and pastures existed alongside forests, research shows.

The findings underscore how, under the right conditions, farms can be a boon to nature.

Long Overlooked as Crucial to Life, Fungi Start to Get Their Due Fungi create soil, sequester vast amounts of carbon, and contribute $55 trillion to the global economy, but knowledge about them is scarce. Now, mycologists are pushing to get the international scientific community to recognize fungi on the same level as plants and animals.

Fungi create soil, sequester vast amounts of carbon, and supply the nutrients needed to sustain trees — but knowledge about them is scarce.

Now, mycologists are pushing the scientific community to recognize fungi on the same level as plants and animals.

Global News Coverage of Climate Change Falls for Fourth Straight Year Global news coverage of climate change declined for the fourth straight year in 2025, even as emissions hit new highs, according to a new analysis.

Global news coverage of climate change declined for the fourth straight year in 2025, even as emissions hit new highs, a new analysis finds.